failure of voice, and to be enabled to speak in the Church with the mouth of others, though silence is at present imposed upon his own. He is fully aware that his labours are liable to be held up to ridicule; and he expects to be reminded of the poet's sarcastic description of the reverend Doctor in former days, who undertook

"To sell accent, tone,

And emphasis in score, and give to prayer
Th' adagio and andante it demands."

To such attacks he feels himself indifferent, through the consciousness of good intentions and a sincere desire of being useful. But certainly he is most anxious to obviate the serious objections of the devout Christian, who may be apprehensive that attention to rules of reading must necessarily destroy the minister's devotion. Admitting that the first attempts at improved delivery may take off the individual's mind from his own devotional feelings, still, if he at all succeeds in making the congregation more attentive to the meaning of what they are repeating or hearing, he is doing much towards exciting their devotion; and with respect to himself, that consideration about rules, which at first may be apt to occupy him, will soon wear off; a judicious manner will become ha

bitual and perfectly easy; and his mind being left at full liberty to follow the sentiment, hẹ will prove, by his manner of delivering it, that he himself feels it at his heart.

The author would further remark, that he is acting upon the very same plan that is not unfrequently adopted by many among his elder brethren. Do they not occasionally consider themselves called upon to give a word of advice to their juniors, as to the best mode of delivering certain parts of the Service? Such hints are often highly useful;-but when the novice first attempts to reduce the advice to practice, his mind must at the moment, and probably for some moments before, be thinking of the rule, and losing sight of devotion, Practice however will soon correct all this. In the present work, a similar plan of suggesting advice to juniors is ventured upon, differing chiefly in this particular, that the directions are more numerous; and, by being committed to the press, may have a chance of more extended utility.

Having offered these considerations in order to obviate some of the objections which may naturally arise, it may be useful, before entering upon an explanation of the system adopted

5

in the present work, to enumerate some common defects in reading, against which the student must carefully guard.

I. The most usual defect in the reading of young Clergymen, is excessive rapidity; and its natural consequence, indistinctness. It is a mistake to suppose that the smooth but quick delivery, which is very audible and very agreeable in a room, can with propriety be adopted in reading the Service in a church which is of considerable dimensions, and frequently very badly constructed for public speaking. Louder tones are in such places absolutely necessary; to maintain which, a more frequent respiration is required; and to render the words intelligible at a distance, a slower enunciation must be adopted. Indeed, universal experience teaches, that it is not those whose voices are loudest that are best understood by distant hearers, but those whose utterance is deliberate, distinct, and equable *.

* Mr. Jones, in his Life of Bishop Horne, speaking of the preaching of Bishop Hinchcliffe, says, "It was remarkable, and, to those who did not know the cause, mysterious, that there was not a corner of the church in which he could not be heard distinctly." The reason, as Mr. Jones supposes, was, that the Bishop made it an invariable rule, "to do justice to every consonant, knowing that the vowels will be sure to speak for themselves."

Besides, it must be remembered, that a rapid delivery is incompatible with solemnity, and therefore is wholly unsuited to the character of Public Worship.

The recollection of these facts may be useful to those who undertake the duties of reading and preaching several times in one day. To be enabled to preach with energy, they sometimes feel obliged to reserve their strength whilst in the Desk; and, in consequence, are apt to fall into a dull, feeble, and sometimes a hurried and careless manner of reading; thereby exciting a notion in the minds of the congregation, (who are, in general, very little aware of the exhaustion which is produced by a long continuance of loud reading,) that their Minister is indifferent to the importance of the Service, and insensible to its excellence; or that he is impatient to ascend the Pulpit, that he may have a better opportunity for the exercise of his talents. As the hearers are well acquainted with most parts of the Ritual, the Reader certainly need not use so much exertion of voice as is required of him when he becomes the Preacher; but still, in all parts of the Service, the delivery must always be properly deliberate and solemn: and if it be but distinct, it will in most churches be sufficiently

audible. But for a hurried, slovenly manner, there can be no excuse.

In endeavouring to avoid the defect of rapidity, the student must not think with some that he has attained his object, merely by introducing very long pauses at the end of every sentence. He must be reminded, that each sentence requires pauses of different lengths in various parts of it, besides the principal one at the conclusion; and that the length of those pauses must be proportioned to the general rate of utterance.

II. Another common defect in young Readers, (perhaps in many Readers and Preachers * at every period of life), is the dropping of the voice so much at the end of every sentence as to become inaudible to those of the congre

* This defect among preachers sometimes arises from a very obvious cause. Whilst they are pronouncing the concluding words of a sentence, they are looking down to their manuscript, to see what is the beginning of the next sentence. From this change in the position of the head and neck, the voice receives a different direction, and is likewise considerably suppressed. This habit may be corrected by making it a rule to continue looking at those who are addressed, till each sentence is concluded. The pauses between the sentences may perhaps in consequence, be somewhat lengthened; but this will frequently be an advantage.